The present invention relates to tree climbing apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus for enabling a person to climb a tree so as to be located at a substantial height above the ground.
The utilization of riggings, including ropes, to enable persons to reach elevated positions have long been known. These include the boatswain's chair used on sailing vessels, and similar arrangements utilized for performing work in trees and on towers, poles, and the like.
An example of a boatswain's chair construction is disclosed in Hoyt U.S. Pat. No. 2,254,179, in which there is a seat, a spreader above the seat, a belt for encircling the waist of the user, suspension elements between the spreader and the seat, and connectors between the belt and the suspension elements. In addition, a rope is provided, connected to the spreader, with a tail of the rope extending from the spreader and being used as a lanyard, there being disclosed a knot enabling the lanyard to connect the spreader to the running portion of the rope. While this construction is of light-weight, it requires that the climber tie the knot in the lanyard around the running portion of the rope, a task which apparently must be accomplished with one hand while the other hand holds the running portion of the rope to and thereby insures the suspension of the climber while he is tying the knot of the lanyard.
In addition to the above arrangement, there have been provided a number of constructions for enabling a person to descend a rope in safety, usually for the purpose of escaping from an upper floor of a building, as during a fire. These constructions included, in many cases, a cleat arrangement, to permit a person either to remain stationary on a rope which had an upper end attached to a support above the person, or to permit the person to descend along the rope, by releasing the cleat. In these constructions, there was no provision for climbing the rope, since in these fire escape devices and safety devices, the intent was to permit the person to descend from an upper elevation. Among the disclosures of the latter type are Davis U.S. Pat. No. 269,268, Rose et al U.S. Pat. No. 259,279 and Hahn et al U.S. Pat. No. 424,550.